Jun 8, 2013

League Post - Bring It Back

Bring it back! What product or media property would you like to see revived, and how would you imagine it being different today.

Two properties immediately jumped to mind right away, both Saturday morning favorites of mine. The first was Thundarr the Barbarian but I didn't think it would be much of an interesting post. Beyond updating the animation, giving it an overall story arc, and on-going plot threads (much like the latest incarnation of Scooby-Doo), there isn't much I'd change.

So that leaves the other one: Land of the Lost!

Yes, I'm well aware of the 1991 TV reboot and the 2009 movie. Each had some good ideas in them somewhere but weren't great. So, where to start?

First, I'd change up the family dynamic. In the new version, the family would either be a mom, son and younger sister or dad, daughter and younger brother. While I don't hate the original dynamic, I've always thought Holly being the youngest and a girl was like two strikes against her. Although she did have one of my favorite stories in the episode "Elsewhen."

Cliched Genre Dream Casting

Mom/Dad

Jaime Murray (Dexter, Warehouse 13, Defiance)
Maybe she wouldn't be thrilled at being the mom of a teenage boy at her age but I know she could be a tough cookie and caring mom at the same time.
Terry O'Quinn (X-Files, Alias, Hawaii Five-O)
Yeah, yeah he was already Lost once but damn he could bring some needed gravitas to a reboot of a former Saturday morning kiddie show. And he could probably hold his own in a mano-a-Sleestak fight.

Older Sibling

Atticus Dean Mitchell (My Babysitter's a Vampire)
While I haven't' seen him do much dramatic acting on this show, he could be a great dinosaur geek.

Alison Scagliotti (Warehouse 13)
Her energy would be the perfect counter-balance to O'Quinn's gruff exterior.

Younger Sibling

Maisie Williams (Game of Thrones)
Although she and Atticus are very close in age, most of us know she's able to play younger than her actual 16 years of age with no problem.

Nolan Gould (Modern Family)
I have a feeling he and Allison would have some fantastic comedic chemistry.

The overall story would stay pretty much the same and carry over iconic elements from the past such as portals that allow visitors from Earth's history (maybe other worlds too), the pylons, Sleestaks, Pakuni, and dinosaurs.

I'd want it to have a Lost-type feel to it as far as having slow-burn mysteries about the land the the new arrivals discover along with the audience. No flash-backs, -forwards or -sideways! Maybe the other parent was part of the expedition and got separated from the rest of the family during the cross over. Maybe one or two lost civilizations from Earth's past ended up here. Atlantis, anyone?

As the original occasionally showed, it's a setting where some fantastic sci-fi stories can be told by the right people. The type of stories that make you think and comment on our current world at the same time.

If you were a fan of the show, I highly recommend setting aside some time and diving into the Wiki pages. There is an incredible amount of info there to absorb that will
blow your inner kid's socks off.